Europe

Denmark: End of Program: “A Summer in Copenhagen” by Megan Dale

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www.juneincopenhagen.tumblr.com

I am currently sitting in the Copenhagen airport waiting to hear the outcome of my standby status. Apparently the city didn’t want to let me go! At this moment though home is the only place I want to be. I have missed my family and friends so much and I cannot wait to see them when I finally get off the plane in Vancouver. Other than that the only thing I have missed about the states is the lack of pressure to be doing something every moment. It will be so nice to get to relax at home.

I will miss Copenhagen, and Europe in total so much. I will miss the air and the atmosphere. I will miss the cobblestone streets of Copenhagen and the graffiti-ed walls of Berlin. Interestingly, something I will miss the most about being abroad is hearing all the different languages. I have loved the white noise of people speaking, but not understanding them. I also will definitely miss the hotdogs!

I do not think that I was abroad long enough to experience reverse culture shock when I get back since I wasn’t fully immersed in my host culture.I see this as both a good and bad thing. I wish I could have been there longer, but it will be nice to go back with not struggles except jetlag. I almost immediately go back to work so I think throwing myself into the real world will help quite a bit with the sadness and any reverse culture shock I may have.

I have added many of my friends of social media and plan to keep up with their lives moving forward. I have met some wonderful people and I wish them all the very best in their lives. I have learned a lot about myself and being a global citizen while abroad and I can’t wait to bring that back with me. I have learned so much about identity and personal biases and how we can better deal with them and create a more inclusive world. I hope to influence others to think of the world as their home.

 

France: “Parlez-vous Francais?” by Sebastian Zgirski

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Parlez-vous Français?

Since I have come here to France, I have already had plenty of opportunities to speak French, which has been really cool. I was initially intimidated by going to France with only a year’s worth of French, and yes I was afraid to speak it at first. Before coming to France I listened to a lot of French podcasts and music, but I would always have trouble understanding what was being said. I would try to speak with friends, but I would struggle to put together sentences. Long story short I did not have as much experience with the French language as I felt I needed, and that was scary to think about.

 

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France: “En Route!” by Sebastian Zgirski

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En Route!

 

I have been in France for about a week and a half now, and I simply cannot believe it. It’s been great and I cannot wait to share those stories with you all. But alas this is not my arrival in France blog post rather it is one focusing my on my journey to France ( I would have written this blog earlier but I have had absolutely no time at all for anything in the last week and a half ), and boy did I have an amazing journey.

 

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Italy: Pre-Departure: “Ciao Firenze” by Beka Carr

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https://helloflorenceitsbeka.tumblr.com/

 

The time leading up to this trip has been stressful, exciting, scary, and overwhelming. But I would not trade it for the world. This is my first time out of the country (other than Canada and Mexico) and off of this continent. I am not excited for the plane ride(s) I am about to embark on, but the destination will be worth every second in the air.

I cannot wait to see where I will be staying, the sunsets in the morning and the amazing food after a long day of classes. To wake up there and believe I am actually there and not still dreaming. I plan on learning as much Italian as I can. The classes I am taking I hope will change my outlook on life and culture. I get to learn about the great artists of the past and the current ones in the cellars. I am lucky that my family has traveled and can give me much needed advice, tips, and tricks on how to travel well and travel smart. I am still nervous since I will be alone in the beginning but that’s a part of life right? New beginnings, and experiences that will hopefully lead to more adventures in the future. The resources Western and CEA offers have also helped prepare me for this trip, with setting up STEP and making sure I will be as safe as possible.

More pictures and stories to come!

Ciao Bella <3

 

Denmark: Arrival: “Summer in Copenhagen” by Megan Dale

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I have now been in Copenhagen for about 2 ½ days now and I have never felt so comfortable in a new place so fast. The Danes have been so welcoming (in there own, uniquely Danish way, but I’ll get to that later). I have been so astounded by everything around me. I have never even been to Europe so this is all so new. I’ve already done so much and eaten so much good food (like the hotdog from a street cart pictured here that I was told was a MUST and it definitely was).

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France: Pre-Departure: “The Start of Something Great” by Sebastian Zgirski

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https://sebiontheworld.wordpress.com/2017/05/30/the-start-of-something-great/

 

Hello!!! Thank you so much for deciding to read this blog, it means the world to me! As I finish up my spring quarter here at Western Washington University, I find myself extremely excited for the journey I’m about to undertake. This summer I will finally be fulfilling one of my childhood dreams of going to France. I will be studying abroad in Lyon, France, for 4 and a half weeks earning credit for my French minor and traveling as much as possible. After the end of my program, I intend to travel for a bit and make my way to Poland where I will visit family and an old childhood friend for a few weeks, and then finally head back to the States. This will leave me with about 2 months in Europe.

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Denmark: Pre-Departure: “June in Copenhagen” by Megan Dale

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https://juneincopenhagen.tumblr.com/

One week from tomorrow I am driving up to Vancouver, BC to catch a flight early the next morning to Copenhagen, Denmark. WOW! To see this all come together has been so surreal to me. It still doesn’t feel real. I’m pretty sure it won’t feel real until I am sitting on that plane. Maybe not even until I touchdown in Copenhagen (honestly though, maybe not even then).

 

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England: End of Program: “Just Hold On, We’re Going Home,” by Mikayla Lawrence

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One week left. I knew it would fly by, but why didn’t anyone tell me just how quickly? I’m just now getting really acquainted with my life in London, and now I have to say goodbye to it. But, no matter how sad I am, and how weird it will be to return home, I can’t deny that I’m looking forward to the moment I land in Seattle. I miss my family and friends, and the familiarity of my hometown, and the way I can guilelessly watch TV in my living room without feeling like I should be out doing something. God, I miss The Bachelor.

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England: Mid Program: “A Day in The Life” by Mikayla Lawrence

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A DAY IN THE LIFE

3/31/2017

I knew I was going to love London, but the one thing I didn’t expect from studying abroad was how nice my neighborhood was going to be, and how little I would want to leave it every day. Don’t get me wrong: Westminster Abbey, Piccadilly Circus and all the other tourist spots are amazing, and I love just exploring random parts of the city. But when you live in an area so wonderful that locals ask if you’re a millionaire for being able to afford it, you can understand the appeal (p.s. I’m not a millionaire — I think I just got lucky with dorm assignments).

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2017 Video Contest Entry: Jhomarie Sadang, Central & Eastern Europe

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https://youtu.be/pgVOBjJDu64

The video contains a few clips of my trip to Central and Eastern Europe with a group of Western Students. We visited Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, and Ljubljana. I also included my weekend trip to Berlin in the video as well. This expereince was significant to me because I never thought I would every visit these places and the group I went with was amazing. We created a bond that can’t be created anywhere else. It really opened my eyes to other cultures and made me want to experience other cultures.

England: Arrival: “London, She has Arrived” by Mikayla Lawrence

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Day 13. Loving London. Loving life.

After some of the hardest days of my entire life, I’m finally settling into my new home. But, of course, everything that could have gone wrong on my first day did, and the sadness, homesickness and subsequent crankiness amplified every frustrating moment. But, in typical me nature, I overreacted under jetlag and everything worked out the way it was supposed to in the end. Let’s break it down.

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